Nathan Vatz
Lieutenant Nathan Vatz was a UNSC ODST Sergeant during the Human-Covenant War. He was assigned to the 22nd Tactical Assault Battalion of the 105th Shock Division, in command of Fireteam Tango. =Background= Early Life Born December 2, 2504 in a large port city on the Canadian East Coast, Nathan Vatz immediately took an interest in the UNSC Marine Corps. Even from a young age, Vatz imagined himself in Marine fatigues. In 2521, at the age of 17, he joined the UNSC's Reserve Forces near his city. Vatz trained hard and long while at boot camp. With his high accuracy, tactical mind, and vehicle skill, Nathan was quickly offered the leadership position of his Platoon, which Vatz declined for the reason that he preferred to fight along side his fellow Marines. Four years after he joined the Reserves, Vatz was enlisted to fight a new enemy, known as "The Covenant". Soon after he and most of his Reserve base were sent off to Reach, where they would join Admiral Cole's forces as they fought to take back Harvest. Human-Covenant War Second Battle of Harvest Private Nathan Vatz's first foray into combat, the Second Battle of Harvest, was the longest, and hardest. The years on Harvest were long and filled with danger, on several occasions he barely escaped with his life. In his first year he fought in several different areas, from Utgard to the reactor complex, to the polar regions. While in combat, Vatz witnessed the deaths of many of his friends and allies. By the third year he was showing his great skill with vehicles and weaponry, he was promoted to Private First Class in 2529. After the Battle of Harvest, Nathan went on to join the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, and was assigned to the 22nd Tactical Assault Battalion of the 105th Shock Division. Battle of Sigma Octanus IV During the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV, PFC Vatz was a member of the 400 Marines that General Kits brought to assist in the fight in Côte d'Azur. Vatz was nearly killed when the Covenant forces overwhelmed the Marine forces, but he was still able to assist Corporal Harland in commanding the surviving Marines until the SPARTANs arrived. Vatz was later evacuated and returned to Earth to recover, but was promoted to Corporal. Siege of Paris IV Vatz, now a Corporal, and healed from his injuries, joined the UNSC force sent to Paris IV to defend it from the Covenant, after a long and difficult battle, in which Vatz was promoted to Sergeant, the Covenant forces began to overwhelm the UNSC, and all Marines were pulled from the planet. First Battle of Earth During the First Battle of Earth, Vatz' squad was sent to fight in a section of Old Mombasa. While traveling to the surface, his Pelican was fired upon by Covenant Anti Air emplacements. The Pelican crashed landed about a kilometer closer to New Mombasa than Master Chiefs. Taking the Warthog that was on the Pelican and a few civilian vehicles, Vatz and his team managed to fight their way into the heart of New Mombasa and assault the bottom of the Assault Carrier's Gravity lift. Vatz was almost killed by a cloaked Elite who came out of a building and sliced at him with an Energy Sword. Vatz suffered severe burns up his left side, and almost lost an arm. The Warthog's gunner managed to take out the Elites shields and Vatz shot at it with his Magnum and caused the Elite to retreat. Vatz was evacuated to Crow's Nest Base along with the other wounded members of his team. Just moments after the Pelican arrived at Crow's Nest, the Assault Carrier jumped into Slipspace. Second Battle of Earth Nathan Vatz also took part in the Second Battle of Earth. He was one of the first to evacuate Crow's Nest on a Pelican. He fought in the Battle of Voi, against the Covenant. Battle of Voi Immediately after evacuating Crow's Nest, Vatz' Pelican dropped his and his team were sent to the city of Voi to assist in its defense against the attacking Covenant forces. His team was dropped off in a lake bed which was soon after assaulted by Covenant ground troops. The six Marines held off the Covenant, and eventually defeated them. Hours later, several Pelicans arrived and dropped off more Marines. Vatz took charge and prepared a plan to defend the lake bed. The Covenant's assault was so brutal and vicious, it forced Vatz to retreat into a highway tunnel with a few Mongooses and weapon crates with Rocket Launchers and a couple Rifles. After an hour of fighting, the Master Chief and a group of Marines arrived and together, they destroyed the Covenant forces, and a Scarab. Vatz and his team fought the Factory in Voi, and Vatz was slightly wounded by a Hunter's Assault Cannon. They were soon after picked up by a Pelican which took them to the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, and were aboard when it went to the Ark. Battle of the Ark During the battle of the Ark, Sgt Vatz's squad fought a very important mission. While John-117, the Elites, and other Marines were attacking the Barrier Towers and Citadel, Vatz's squad was assigned to preform a diversionary strike to a Brute Supply Cache. A pair of Peregrines dropped Vatz and his team at the outskirts of the supply cache, which was actually a large cave of Forerunner design, similar to the caves on both Alpha and Delta Halo. After the Peregrines dropped them off, Vatz led the squads over ten kilometers to the cache, where they encountered heavy Brute resistance. After several hours of fighting, in which half of Vatz's 10 man team was killed and Vatz severely wounded, a flight of 2 Pelicans, 3 Hornets, and a Peregrine came over and eliminated the entire Brute force picked up Vatz and his four remaining squad members and flew them to the Shadow of Intent, which they took back to Earth. Later Life After the Great War, Vatz was promoted to the rank Lieutenant. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2556, then married and had several children. His first born child, Mary Vatz, later became a businesswoman and had several children herself, including Andrew Vatz, who joined the UNSC Marine Corps, like his grandfather before him.